Ben Solo

VI

Ben had been forbidden to go with Luke and his father to retrieve the other three trainees, despite his insistence that he had merely brought his blaster for protection, and not just because he wanted to.

In the time that he was required to stay in his room, Ben repaired C-3PO. His lights blinked to life on the second day of tinkering.

"Oh, good day, master Ben!" C-3PO chirped.

Ben grinned and stood, putting his small wrench back into his tool bag, which Poe had delivered once he found out his friend was grounded.

"Hey, 3PO."

"Oh my, where am I?"

"My room. I got in trouble for taking my blaster with me to Dantooine, so that's why I'm here and not with Luke."

"Where is Master Luke?" C-3PO asked.

"Off somewhere collecting three Force-sensitive kids." Ben closed the bag and set it against the wall, by his bed.

"Oh! Is he going to make a new Jedi school?"

"Yes, and Poe and I are going to be Jedis someday."

"How delightful! I am glad he is able to do what he wanted to so long ago!"

The gold droid walked stiffly to the other side of the room, and turned around. "I am certainly quite thankful you decided to re-activate me. I am afraid I annoyed Master Luke too many times."

"Han gave you to me for my birthday."

"My, how much time has passed! How old are you now?"

"I'm eight."

"Goodness!"

Leia came in. "I see you got him working again."

Ben stood up from where he was sitting on his bed. "Yeah."

"I'll bet Uncle Luke won't be extremely happy. He seemed pretty fed up." Leia smiled.

"I hope he is okay. He didn't seem happy when I got him. Do you think he'll let me take him to Dantooine?"

"Perhaps. It's time for dinner now. You can come to the mess hall."

Ben followed his mother. "When will Dad and Uncle Luke be back?"

"I don't know.  They sent in a transmission this morning reporting that they had located the first one, and were having trouble on Endor with another." Leia pressed a button and the blast doors opened.

The golden droid followed the mother and son into the mess hall.

Ben sat down next to Poe.

"You got him to work?"

"Yeah.  It wasn't too hard.  Uncle Luke added a few extra wires to make it harder to reactive him, so I had to figure that out."

Aura smiled at him.  "Maybe you inherited your grandfather's handiness with droids.  Did you know he assembled C-3PO himself when he was your age?"

"Really?"

Leia shot Aura a look.  "But that was before he turned to the Dark Side."

Ben nodded.

As soon as dinner was finished, the sun was setting.

Ben went to bed.  That night, his story was of the battle of Endor, where his father and uncle were now.

After the usual, "And we all lived happily ever after, do you see?" Leia kissed his forehead and left the room.

Ben laid awake in his bed, staring out the small window at the moon.